Korean J Parasitol.
2017 Aug;55(4):421-424. 10.3347/kjp.2017.55.4.421.
Sparganosis of the Unilateral Breast: A Case Report
- Affiliations
-
- 1Department of Surgery, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul 06591, Korea. bjchae@gmail.com
- 2Department of Hospital Pathology, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul 06591, Korea.
- KMID: 2389978
- DOI: http://doi.org/10.3347/kjp.2017.55.4.421
Abstract
- Sparganosis is a parasitic infection caused by the sparganum, the plercercoid of the genus Spirometra. The preoperative diagnosis of breast sparganosis is difficult in most cases because it is a rare parasitic infection less than 2% of all cases. We report a 62-year-old woman case of breast sparganosis that were confirmed by surgical removal of worms from the right breast. The radiologic images of the patient also revealed characteristic features of breast sparganosis. The patient described the migrating palpable breast mass, which strongly suggested the possibility of breast sparganosis. The treatment of choice and confirmative diagnosis for sparganosis are complete surgical extraction of the sparganum irrespective of infected site. Inspection of the mass site with detailed medical history and radiological examinations are important for preoperative diagnosis of sparganosis patients.
